Blind
by xfallenangel13x
Summary: Something is wrong with Jayfeather. He's tried to explain... but they all think he is mad. Shunned by the ones he thought were his friends, the blind tom must face this new danger alone. A danger that is merged into his very soul. (Warrior Cats Fanfiction. Post-series. SPOILER WARNINGS, just in case. Some Briarlight/Jayfeather in future chapters. :3)
1. Chapter 1

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I know I already have a couple stories in the works, but I decided to step out of Yu-Gi-Oh for a story, and into another much-loved fanbase. Warrior Cats, by Erin Hunter :)

"Speaking"

_'Thinking' _

***Mysterious Voice***

It was a cold day, towards the middle of leafbare. Cats that weren't out on patrol were huddled up in their dens, sharing tounges and body warmth and gossip. All but one cat.

In the farthest reaches of ThunderClan camp, tucked behind the bough of an enormous birch tree that had fallen into camp several seasons ago, was a lonesome den. Inside it crouched a lonesome cat. He shivered as a breeze passed through his nest, and burrowed a little bit deeper into the mosses and bracken that made his bedding. It was huddled into a cleft made between the crossing of the camp's stone wall, and a disjointed branch that had settled when the trunk it was once connected to had fallen. It fit snugly amongst the stones, blocking out most of the elements. But it tended to be drafty of windswept days like this.

The tomcat was a lithe tabby. His legs were surprisingly well-built, but in a lanky sort of way. His body matched, being thin and long. His tail was nearly three-quarters the length of his midsection, thin at its base, but fluffing out at the tip. A patch of longer fur ran over the back of his neck and partially down his spine. Large-ish ears were splayed and cold. His cool gray pelt was laced in night colored stripes, with a snowy colored underside and paws. Blind blue eyes stared with surprising intensity at a spot of browned, dead moss on the wall. Sadness knawed at his heart.

***Some family.*** a cold voice broke into his musings. It was a mix between medium and semi-deep in pitch, smooth and collected and sarcastic, like velvet. Much like the other tom's own voice.

_'Shut up,'_ the gray tabby retorted mentally, sorrow quickly replaced by the trademark irritability. ***What?*** the other replied, sounding helpless. He could almost see this strange creature in his mind shrugging. ***I was just pointing out the obvious. They're supposed to be your kin, right?*** The blind cat pointedly looked in another direction, despite knowing it wouldn't make his other be silent.

***Well, what kind of family or friend shoves someone aside like this, leaving them to freeze?*** The cat lifted his head blue eyes narrowing slightly. "I have you to thank for that," he replied icily, claws pausing to tear at the moss he lay on.

The sounds of something dragging reached his hyper-sensitive ears, which flicked. He turned his head in the direction of the sound, blinking. "Come in, Briarlight," he called, shifting to rest on his other side. The sounds continued, and a muffled greeting was heard.

"Hi, Jayfweafer!" **(A/N: Yes, I meant to spell it like this. Briarlight has a squirrel in her jaws :P)**

Though he was blind in the waking world, the tomcat knew the appearance of the one before him. Not only because he was once a medicine cat that had treated her injuries, but because he had a secret. Jayfeather could walk in the dreams of other cats. He was one of a prophesied Three. His brother, Lionblaze, and cousin, Dovewing, were the other two.

Dream-walking was an interesting thing. He could interact with other cats, including said dreamer, within the dream. He could turn a nightmare into a happy dream, or vice-versa, find out someone's deepest secrets, illnesses, and even guide them away from avoidable death. He had done that once before, with his brother's mate, Cinderheart. Back when she was a 'paw, she had fallen ill. It was the medicine cat's gentle persuasion that had kept her from joining StarClan's ranks.

But, he digressed...

Briarlight was a young warrior, only at a few years of age. Her fur was a dusky brown, mainly pale with tabby markings deep as the richest of soils. Her underside, paws, and end of her tail were a creamy color, almost brown but not quite a pure white. Her eyes were sparkling green, with golden flecks, and a small pink nose. Though, despite her looks, Briarlight was different from other cats. She was horribly crippled. From below about halfway down her spine, she had no feeling. The very tree that had fallen into ThunderClan's camp had done that to her, as well as killing a beloved Clan elder, Longtail.

Briarlight smiled around a squirrel clamped in her jaws, and hobbled over on her front legs, dead half dragging uselessly behind her. Jayfeather stifled a sigh. He knew the she-cat was hear on more than a simple, friendly visit.

"Don't bother," he muttered moodily, turning his head away from her with narrowed eyes. He immediately felt her happy demeanor drop into a disappointment and concern that rolled from her pelt in waves. She scooted closer, dropping the prey on the moss.

"Jayfeather, you _have_ to eat," she murmured firmly, authority ringing in his ears. Jayfeather merely gave a stubborn snort, and lowered his ears further.

"I have_ no_ intent on consuming a single bite. I have burdened my Clan enough as it is," he retorted. ***Quit complaining and dig in! I don't want to be spiritually bonded to an anorexic!*** the voice in his head whined, as their belly grumbled at the scents of forest prey.

_'Bad decision on your part,'_ Jayfeather commented snidely to his secondary mental presence. Briarlight sighed, moving closer. A faint amusement lit up her eyes. "You're acting like Mousefur," she joked playfully, "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you two _rehearse_ this attitude-thing of yours."

Jayfeather allowed the smallest of smiles to pull at his feline lips. An involuntary shiver made the fur along his spine prickle up. Seeing this, Briarlight quickly dragged herself over and pressed against him. A rusted purr rose from his throat as the she-cat's body heat soothed his chilled flesh. He still felt a nagging sense of worry radiate from her like an annoying static, like air before a thunderstorm.

"What's worrying you?"

He pictured her blinking in surprise at his straightforwardness, and easy prediction at her present emotional state. She seemed to pick out her words carefully before she spoke again. "I can feel your ribs."

Jayfeather couldn't hold back the sigh from his voice. "And...?" he said without much interest. He felt Briarlight tense against him. "_And_ it's unhealthy. _**And**_ you _need_ to eat something," she pressed. Jayfeather closed his eyes with a long exhale through his nose.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry."

***Yeah, don't you know we're on a new diet?***

_'Shut up.'_

***Make me.***

He sensed Briarlight scowling. "Mouse. _Dung_," she mumbled sternly, "Jayfeather, I _know_ you are. You just won't eat! I could count almost _every. Single. Rib_, in your sides, if I sifted through the fur a little bit!"

Jayfeather refused to reply.

She sighed. "Jayfeather, I know that you're depressed, and your frustrated, and mad, but please... _please_ just eat something! I hate seeing you do this to yourself!"

The tom's ears flicked up, and his eyes snapped open. With a low growl, he fixated a glare on the female, lips tensing in the beginnings of a snarl. "Depressed and angry is an **_understatement_**!" he snapped, tail lashing once.

"I'm not just depressed, I'm **DEVASTATED**. I'm lonely, I'm sad, and I'm being completely _shunned_ by everyone I thought I could trust!" his teeth flashed as he gnashed them together, voice raising. "And I'm not just mad. I. Am. _FURIOUS_. And it hurts! You have no idea what this is like, Briarlight!"

Briarlight's ears flattened, but she remained where she was, not allowing Jayfeather's temper faze her. She brought the squirrel closer with a paw, refusing to give in. Jayfeather growled, and stood abruptly. He began to pace, claws digging into to earth beneath his paws.

***Geez, calm down, fireball! Just take a little bite!*** the Voice pressed more. "I said no! Shut up!" he snapped, completely forgetting he was in the presence of another.

"Jayfeather..?" Briarlight murmured, sounding bewildered. The gray tabby tom froze, heat rising on his skin. _Crap..._

"Oh, uh-" he cleared his throats sheepishly. "It's just- ugh. Nevermind, Briarlight. S-Sorry..." Jayfeather sat down, not looking at her. "It's nothing."

Briarlight's eyes shone in a brief understanding, before picking herself up again. Jayfeather waited patiently as she quickly drug herself to him.

"It's alright, Jayfeather... I-I know you're not mad," she murmured sweetly, managing to press her head against his upper foreleg. "And I promise, when you need a cat to turn to, I'll always be there." She slowly exited, tossing a small smile in his direction as she did so. "Promise me you'll try and eat, alright?"

And with that, the she-cat left his den.

Jayfeather sat there in silence, eyes closing. The Voice decided to remain silent, and entertain itself in whatever ways it was Voices did. His head lowered, before the tom walked slowly to the back of his nest. The squirrel was easily ignored and forgotten.

_"'Always be there...'"_ he quoted sourly, curling into a tight ball. _"That's what they all say."_

Next chapter: You'll get a little insight on Jayfeather's current situation. Sorry for the vagueness!

~Fallen

here...


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter starts with a dream/flashback.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot of this story, and Wraith.**

**o.o.o.o.o**

"Speaking"  
_'Thinking'  
_***Mysterious Voice***

**o.o.o.o.o**

***So, Jay', I was thinkin'**...* the Voice rang through the medicine cat's ears. They flicked back in annoyance. "Which is something you REALLY shouldn't be doing," he commented snidely, voice low so no other cats could overhear.

***Ouch, Jayfeather. That's just mean.***

The tabby tom snorted, tail lashing once. "Get used to it," he growled.

***No.***

The blind healer bit back an irritated groan. He heard pawsteps approaching. The scent of his brother, Lionblaze, met his nose, while waves of caution and deep concern made his fur prickle. Jayfeather looked up from his place above a pile of watermint, blind turquoise orbs staring at the place where his kin would enter. Heartbeats later, the broad-shouldered, golden tabby tom pushed his way past the screen of growing lichen, and padded inside.

His voice seemed strangely... hesitant, when he spoke. "Hello, Jayfeather."

The slender cat dipped his head in a small greeting, before returning to his assortment of healing plants. He needed to stock up for upcoming leafbare. Silence stretched awkwardly between them, and Jayfeather didn't like it. Siblings should never feel like this around each other. "Do you need something?" he asked with surprising patience. (The medicine cat was rather infamous for his short temper.)

The scuttling of a small pebble across stone signified Lionblaze's shuffling paws. "Er... Yes, actually," he mumbled. Jayfeather flicked his ears back, in his brother's direction, to show that he was listening. The lwarrior cleared his throat, pausing as if searching for the correct words.

***Maybe he finally let his mouse-sized brain take a break**,* the Voice laughed mockingly. ***He's all brawn, no smarts!*** Jayfeather's lip curled into an irritated snarl. He was glad his back was turned to his littermate- the facial expression was quite odd for the situation at-paw.

_'Shut up!_' he mentally snapped.

***Nya! Make me**!* he got the mental image if a cat sticking their tounge out at him.

His tailtip began to flick in mild annoyance, the fluffy tuft of thick fur running down his spine starting to rise. "Uhm, Jayfeather...?"

Jayfeather stiffened slightly. He'd forgotten Lionblaze was there. 'Damn Voice...' he grumbled internally, ignoring a smarmy comment from his- much _unwanted_- mental partner. He released a long breath, closing his eyes for a moment, before slowly opening them again.

"Yes?"

Again, with the hesitancy. Lionblaze shifted, as if uncomfortable. Jayfeather sensed the awkwardness and extremely uncharacteristic timidity and pure _worry_ rolling from his brother's pelt in smothering waves. His ears flicked up, brow furrowing in mild bewilderment. What was making the other tom act so peculiarly?

He slowly turned back to face his brother. "Lionblaze...?" he asked, allowing his apprehension to show openly on his usually stone-set face. "Is something wrong?" He heard a small 'hrm'-sounding noise of affirmation.

Jayfeather walked over, head tilting to the side. "What's the matter? You aren't ill, are you?" His hackles started to rise. "Has Dovewing heard something? O-Or Ivypool- is something amiss in the Dark Forest?"

***Geez, calm down, you over-cautious elder! You're worse than a queen sometimes, I swear!*** Jayfeather's eyes flashed in deep annoyance, claws instinctively flashing out to scrape at the stone floor beneath his pawpads. He felt Lionblaze tense a little, but neither mewed a word.

"Jayfeather?" Lionblaze repeated after another infuriating stretch of silence.

"Y-Yes?" the blind tom echoed once again, cursing himself for letting his attentions to be so greatly disrupted.

"Erm, Dovewing came to me earlier today and... said that you were, uh..." he shuffled uneasily. "That you were speaking to yourself, in your den... Wh-When you were by yourself." Jayfeather blinked, not showing his quickly mounting panic. Damn! How could he have forgotten about the she-cat?! The feline could hear a mouse **_sneeze_** over in RiverClan territory from camp, for StarClan's sake! His could his seemingly to-himself conversations **not** be overheard?

"What," he asked, trying not to snap out in anger, "Can't a cat think out loud once in a while?"

Again. No answer.

Jayfeather felt his cool gray, black-striped fur beginning to rise in anxious anticipation. He wanted desperately to return to his herb-sorting, but knew that Lionblaze update take that as him trying to escape the current situation. A distraction. Which was_ exactly _what it was.

He was still when he heard his brother stand, and slowly walk over to him. He felt Lionblaze's breath stir his whiskers. The presence was protective, and concerned for his smaller littermate. Usually, this would fill the other tom with extreme irritation, but now, he relished in the feeling. He felt safe. Like everything would be alright.

Lionblaze gently butted heads with his brother, a gesture which Jayfeather returned. Jayfeather pressed his cheek into the fur above Lionblaze's strong shoulder, wishing desperately... to admit the truth. He WASN'T alright. He WASN'T alone when he spoke to 'himself' each day, and...

He was... frightened. If this- this **_thing_**, could hear and speak into his thoughts, what else could it do?

***Oh, much, ****_much_**** more...*** it cackled in a sinister tone.

Jayfeather subconsciously pressed closer to a rather stunned Lionblaze. Jayfeather was definitely _not_ an affectionate cat. He showed he cared through stern words and a bit of a 'tough-love' fursona. **(A/N: Persona, Fursona, get it? I figured it matched better xD)**

Lionblaze shifted and wrapped his tail over their paws best he could. "Jayfeather... Are you alright?" he asked, worry for his brother escalating.

Jayfeather absently nodded, and nudged his brother's neck with his head briefly, before pulling away. "Yeah," he murmured, "We... just haven't spoken in a while. We've both been very busy, recently. Y'know?"

He heard Lionblaze give a small, almost relieved sigh, and pictured a smile crossing his face. "Yeah, sorry. You've been stocking herbs for leafbare, and well..." he shrugged. Jayfeather nodded.

Squirrelflight had been forced into retirement after an unfortunate run-in with a fox early in the previous greenleaf. She had her left foreleg broken, and a nasty tear into the flesh by the nape of her neck.

She'd almost joined StarClan at several points during the next week, and the damage had damaging something internal. Her reaction timing was much slower, and she found it hard to unsheathe her claws and run. She'd, a bit regretfully, departed for the elder's den after seasons and seasons of service to her Clan.

Squirrelflight would have retired sometime early within the next year, anyways. And she seemed to be enjoying the relaxation.

Bramblestar had named Lionblaze his newest successor, after a long discussion with Squirrelflight and the senior warriors. They all had agreed anonymously that the powerful tom would be the best choice. Jayfeather had never been prouder of his littermate. (And, though he would never admit it, he had the extreme urge to tackle and tussle with his brother after the others had vanished back into their dens for a good night's sleep after the naming ceremony.)

But, he digressed.

Jayfeather merely managed a small smile. Lionblaze stood up, his intense amber gaze still fixated on the medicine cat. "Jayfeather," he mewed, "If there is anything wrong... something troubling you, you know you can tell me, right?"

Jayfeather blinked in mild surprise. 'You have no idea, brother,' he thought. "Of course," was how he answered instead, nodding in affirmation. Lionblaze seemed pleased with the reply, as his worry-plagued scent grew much more normal than before, like pollen on the wind.

"Just, remember, Jayfeather... If you ever need anything, come talk to me. Alright?" Lionblaze turned to leave. He threw a glance over his shoulder, smiling with that very sibling-like affection. "I'll always be there for you."

Lionblaze left. Jayfeather felt the overwhelming sadness of his situation engulf his soul. This was a dream, he knew it. A memory, within a dream. Hopelessness shone in his eyes. Why couldn't everything just go back to this?

'I'll always be there for you,' his kin's voice echoed in his head. Jayfeather closed his eyes, choking out in a quiet whimper.

"_Brother..."_

**o.o.o.o.o**

Jayfeather's eyes opened to the familiar blackness of being blind. He rolled from his side, to a somewhat-upright position. Blinking, his ears pointed upwards.

"Briarlight?"

The she-cat was dozing in a patch of weak leafbare sunlight at the edge of his makeshift den. He heard her startle from her relaxed daze with a small grunt. "Oh, Jayfeather, you're up." She sounded pleased, but sleepy. Amusement managed to flicker somewhere within him.

The Voice was still in an unconscious state. A few minutes of being normal. He heard the dusky-brown tabby she-cat drag herself over. The happiness on her pelt vanished, only to be replaced by a troubled emotion he couldn't quite placed his paw on, mingling with confusion.

"Jayfeather...?" she murmured, sounding heartbroken. "Are... are you... crying?"

Jayfeather stiffened, and sat up. "Wh-What?" he mewed, alarmed. Why would he be-? The tabby tom raised a paw, and rubbed the joint where it flexed **(A/N: Like the back of your wrist, where it bends at),** gingerly at the corner of his left eye.

The scent of moistened fur and salt reached his nose. **(A/N: I know cats don't cry, but in Fallen's Mind of Warrior Cats, they do. So deal. XD)**

***Aww, did the kitten have a bad dream?*** the Voice crooned mockingly.

_'StarClan, DAMN it!'_ he cursed internally.

Briarlight's sorrow reached him as she came closer. Jayfeather was grooming his face in an attempt to clear traces of pitiful tears, licking a paw before drawing it over his face.

"Jayfeather..." she murmured again, sounding shattered. He sensed her, staining upwards on her front paws, before a tounge lapped gently over his muzzle. It wiped away the traces of his sadness.

The medicine cat bent down, so she wouldn't accidentally pull a muscle through overexertion, and let her groom him. Briarlight managed to coax him into laying down, to where he went limp beneath her grooming. Her tounge washed over his pelt in a rhythmic, soothing pace. He almost fell asleep again, when his stomach snarled with hunger.

She stopped, and Jayfeather's ears heated with embarrassment. He tensed when her paw ran over his side, pressing easily to feel the ribs under semi-long fur. Jayfeather felt her gaze on his face, and he stubbornly refused to meet it. "Don't even say it," he grumbled, ears pressing back.

Briarlight sighed sadly. "Please, Jayfeather?" she murmured quietly. He only grunted his refusal. "Please," she asked again.

Jayfeather remained silent, fixedly glaring at a tree branch with surprising intensity. It was almost as if he _could_ see it.

He heard Briarlight sigh again, giving up to the tom's stubbornness. The earth scraped as she dragged herself from his den, and, as she left, Jayfeather felt something strange within him. It was as if a rift was forming down the figure of his being. Tiny, spiderweb cracks.

As the sounds of her leaving faded, the cracks increased. They grew a fraction larger, making his breathing increase a little. What _was_ this feeling? He hated it.

***It's called being alone, genius. You've been completely abandoned.*** the Voice grumbled. ***But there's no need to worry, Jayfeather...*** The tom flattened his ears again.

"Why...?" he grumbled quietly.

He was sent a mental smirk. ***Because I'm here. I'll take care of you.*** Jayfeather felt strangely comforted. He despised that he would feel at ease around this-this _creature _in his head.

***You don't have to be alone, Jayfeather,*** it crooned. The words crashed against his skull painfully. 'Alone.' The cracks widened, creating small crevasses within his heart.

***I'll care for you,*** it repeated. ***I will never leave you alone.***

As the cracks widened, phantom pain crackled down his spine. The loneliness, the sorrow... the isolation. It hurt. It hurt badly.

"Sh-Sh-Shut up..." he choked out, trying to stifle the tears. "Leave me-" he couldn't bear say the word. He wanted this thing to leave.. but if it did... he would be alone. But the Voice was the whole _reason_ he was alone!

His ears pricked up at the sounds of voices. He recognised them, with painful senses of betrayal.

Bramblestar. Lionblaze. Dovewing...

...Briarlight.

He crept to the corner of his makeshift den, by the entrance. In his mind's eye, he saw th whole thing.

Briarlight was standing (well, as much as she could, that is,) before the two toms of lead authority. She had her backless raised, looking stern and incredibly sad all at once. Dovewing stood to the side, obviously on both side of whatever argument this was. The Clan gathered at the edges if camp, uneasy and concerned.

"He doesn't deserve to be treated the way he is! Can't you see how much he's **hurting**?!" the young warrior demanded, eyes clouding with the beginnings of tears. Bramblestar looked torn, but determined.

"It's what's best for the Clan, Briarlight. You have to understand," he said calmly.

"Well, what about what's best for _Jayfeather_? He's One of the Three! He saved our lives! _**All**_ of our lives! What if he's telling the truth?" she growled emotionally. Jayfeather felt his breath catch with emotion. She believed him? "He may be distant, but he's much to level-headed to be truly insane!"

Lionblaze bristled. "We aren't saying Jayfeather is insane! He simply needs time away from the stresses of Clan life. For a little while, before... before something bad happens..." his voice grew weaker as he spoke, ears pressed firmly back on the golden fur of his head.

Jayfeather stood, and strode confidently from his secluded area. "Like what, dear brother?" he spat the word 'brother' as if it were bile in his throat. "Afraid I'll plot some... _horrid_ idea to poison my Clan? Side an alliance with our next threat? Lead some rabid foxes of Twolegs to our home?"

Lionblaze's gaze, _all_ of the Clan's gazes, whipped to his body.

"I am NOT insane. And after all of the _mousedung_ we've all been through, I'm rather surprised you think me so." His backless began to rise. "We've seen cats _**long dead **_return from the Dark Forest and just about murder everything we knew and loved! You can never be beaten in battle, Dovewing can hear halfway across the lake like she was three paw steps away, and I can see and walk in the dreams and pasts of others! If I didn't know any better, I'd say we were ALL bloody insane!" (**A/N: I picture Jayfeather with an English accent. Don't judge lol xD)**

The cracks in his heart spread into an agonizing rift. A deep, yawning abyss of sorrow. He silently cursed the prickling at his eyes. "And if I'm not mad yet, then I will be soon!"

Lionblaze tilted his head to the side. Jayfeather snarled.

"You can't take a cat, shove him to the corner of camp, and treat him no better than your _dirt_ you bury beneath the earth! Because they're still a cat! Not some mindless creature you can treat like crowfood!" His claws sunk deep into the earth.

He stared, though blind, straight into his brother's eyes, pupils contracted to pained, angry slits. "You betrayed my trust, Lionblaze! I've kept secrets for you! I've hidden a great deal of things for your well-being! And when I finally open up and tell you what has been affecting me for the past six moons, you go and tell **_Bramblestar_**, of all cats!" He ignored the slightly offended flash through his leader's pelt.

"Because of you, I'm depressed and alone. My Clan, my **family**, looks at me ad if I'm going to slice at their throats within a moment's notice!" his meowing grew into enraged yells. "I have been stripped of my medicine cat's title. I can't even bloody go to Moonpool anymore!" Yelling erupted into tormented yowls. He felt tears rise up in his blind eyes. His pelt shook, tail stiff and twitchy.

He took a shuddering breath. "I'm an outcast in my own home!" Jayfeather's paws brought him forward, now standing a mere tail length from the ones who had hurt and betrayed him. "Do you know why I refuse to eat? It's not all because I just feel like a burden," he broke off, bared teeth gritting together as he held back a sob.

***It's alright, Jayfeather,*** It soothed**, *Let it all out. Make them feel guilty. Let them KNOW what they are doing to you.***

He let the noise escape. A broken, pitiful whimper. His downcast gaze snapped up, tears streaming down moist, furry cheeks. "I do it because I _want to die_!"

Horror and sadness and pity crackled from his Clanmates' pelts like lightning. Dovewing looked at him, green eyes wide. "Jayfeather..." she murmured.

He ignored her. "You have no idea what it's like, being betrayed and cast aside like last night's fresh-kill. It's-It's lonely, and sad... and..." he looked down again, posture falling with defeat. "I've had everything taken from me that I loved...

He growled again. "I want to die. I do. S-So then, I could, at the very _least_, be with _**Them**_! With Fallen Leaves, and Hollyleaf, and Half-Moon! I won't have to deal with this cruel, damnable fate I've been given!"

He sensed Lionblaze's pity and sadness, and it only made him angrier. He marched closer, backless bristling. "Don't your dare! I don't need your bloody pity!" he snarled.

He stormed past his brother, tense and rageful. Lionblaze's fur rustled as he turned. "Jayfeather... what is it you _want_ me to do?! I just want to be sure you safe! Your my brother, and I'll always love you. I can't lose you, not after Hollyleaf!" he growled, sounding pained. Jayfeather's heart raced for reasons unknown to him.

He stifled a gasp as a strange sensation began to tremble up his spine sending pain through his body. Red began to tint the edges of his vision...

_WAIT._

He could _see_?! But- this wasn't a dream!

He glared back at his brother, locking eyes with the powerful golden tom. Jayfeather saw him and Dovewing freeze, hackles raising in horror, and their eyes widening to resemble a frog's.

He bared his clenched teeth again, and chokes out with a strangled sob, "I think you've done enough, already."

He yearned to claw at something- some _cat_. It was horrid. Agony tremored up his spine. He had to escape. With a grunt, Jayfeather took off into the forest, tears streaming down his muzzle.

His breath came in ragged gasps as sobs escaped his feline chest, sorrow and agony firing across his flesh and soul with each bound. He wanted to leave it all, to escape. "_Damn them_!" he howled to himself, eyes squeezing shut as his paws pounded across the earth. The rift grew wider, threatening to tear him into pieces.

***It's alright Jayfeather,*** the Voice murmured to him, ***I'm here. You're not alone.*** The pain increased, and he could feel the spirit within him's presence growing stronger, more overpowering.

"It hurts..." he whimpered miserably, paws having led him by instinct to the lake. He would always go here, when he still had his stick. It would comfort him, the ancient piece of wood. The scratchmarks gouged into its bark-less length, of Sharp-claws from thee ancient past. Warriors. Half Moon had been one of those warriors. And his ancient sister, as well as Dovewing's past incarnate, ironically also known as Dove's Wing.

He'd been one of them, too. Jay's Wing. That was his name. He was loved then, looked to as a leader. He'd brought them to the mountains when Twolegs made life impossible by the lake, many, many moons ago. He'd begun the Tribe in the mountains, hidden in the cave behind the waterfall. The Tribe of Rushing Water.

With a growl of fury and loss, he lashed out at tue nearest object: A tree.

Jayfeather's claws dug deep into the bark, and, with an almost savage snarl, he yanked them painfully down. His claws scored deeply into the living wood, releasing his anger and sending sparks of pain up his paws. He loved it. Reaching up again, Jayfeather repeated his assault upon the bark, tears still bubbling in his eyes. He wanted to let the rage, and the pain... just the _emotion_. He wanted to feel numb.

"Damn them!" he choked out again in a low voice. "You don't _do_ this to cats you care about! You don't make the ones you love suffer like this!" he fell to all fours, claws bleeding slightly from the strain they were set under. He stumbled to the lakeside, allowing the cool, numbing water wash over his sore forepaws. With his still-seeing eyes, Jayfeather watched small trickles of red washed out into the freezing water, dissipating into the gloomy color surrounding it.

***Jayfeather,*** It murmured to him, making him feel secure, like a suckling kit at his mother's belly, ***Do you want it to go away? Do you want to feel numb?***

Jayfeather's head snapped up, and chills ran up his spine.

Before him, stood a cat. Translucent, shadowy, like smoke. It was about his size, and, from what he could see, a tabby. Night-black, with beautiful silvery stripes. Intense, chilling eyes, a mixture between bright mint-green and vibrant ice-blue, stared at him with an intensity that made Jayfeather's pelt crawl.

"Do you want to feel numb?" It asked, actually _speaking_ to him this time.

Jayfeather let out a strangled noise, like a whimper. The cat came closer, eyes calm and surprisingly patient. "What-... Who are you?" he asked quietly, ears tucking back in an almost shy manner. The cat smiled.

"I am a cat, like you. Only I am dead. But, I live beyond the boundaries of your ancestors. Beyond the time of your Clans, themselves. Even more ancient than the Tribe," it breathed softly, an accent quite similar to Jayfeather's own, lacing his meow. "I am Wraith."

Jayfeather blinked. "Wraith..." he murmured, as if testing the name. It rolled easily over his tounge, and sent fearful shivers down his spine. But he wasn't scared of this cat... Not anymore.

"Can-Can they...?" he asked.

Wraith smirked with amusement. "See me? No. Only you can, since our souls are currently conjoined. Hear me? Yes. But only if I will them to. Like right now, when I manifest, and you can see."

The medicine cat stiffened. "They why haven't you-"

"I'm afraid my soul was to weak to do so before. I am... sorry for my rudeness as of late, dear Jayfeather. Being merged with a soul is painful and draining, at first. I wasn't quite myself," Wraith mewed, looking a bit embarrassed. "But," he added, "Now I am here. And you aren't alone. Not anymore."

Jayfeather's ears pinned against his head, the rift in his heart becoming unbearable. he crouched down with a noise of pain, squeezing into as small a ball as possible, as if holding himself together.

"Jayfeather, do you want to be numb?" Wraith asked again, crouching down to eye-level.

Jayfeather gave a pained gasp. "StarClan, _yes_! _**Please**_!" his voice trembled, "I-I want to be numb!"

Wraith leaned forward. and touched his dark gray-pink nose to Jayfeather's forehead.

There was a wave of white-hot agony, followed by a cold beyond that of the accumulated snow, and then the tom's consciousness fell into a yawning wave of ebony blackness.

And Jayfeather felt numb.

**o.o.o.o.o**

**Sorry it's been so long since this one was updated. I hit a major writer's block xD**


	3. SOPA WARNING! PLEASE READ!

**CALLING ALL AUTHORS, ARTISTS AND FANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD!**

**SOPA IS BACK BITCHES!**

I found this out from several other authors on this website.

In is an important notice that will affect everyone on this sit and many others.

I got a message from a fellow writer shadowwriter329 and saw more note and messages from even more, that SOPA is back. The bill that is threatening to take away our freedoms on the internet is back. Not only back, but it is trying to be passed quietly so nobody notices. SOPA will guarantee that anybody who streams a video, whether it be on youtube, a walkthrough for a video game, or a kid singing a song that is 'copyrighted' they will be treated as a felon. That is one of the highest form of criminal offensives for something as simple as uploading a video game walkthrough on youtube, playing a song with lyrics of your favorite artist and even one we all go on, this one right here.

I am telling everyone this because it effect us all here as Wattpad/FanFiction will being attacked as well. A Wattpad/FanFiction writer can being carted off to a maximum state prison for writing a character from Naruto into their fanfic, or a character from Bleach, or a character from One Piece, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, the list is endless. You think I an exaggerating? I assure you that if this passes it will not be long, not be long at all, because once this passes, then anything goes. Wattpad/FanFiction will be attacked for using canon characters in a fanon manner, authors will be arrested for writing a book whose main character has glasses just like in another series, artists will be arrested and confined for using sapphire blue in the iris of one of their characters like another author. This effect us all and we can not let it happen.

I figure some of you do not believe me and I can understand. I could be making this up for all you know. But I provided links below to show you I am telling the truth. Simply remove the spaces below, see for yourself.

: / www . huffingtonpost 2013/08/07/unauthorized-streaming-felony_n_3720479 . html

: / www . washingtonpost blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/05/sopa-died-in-2012-b ut-obama-administration-wants-to-revive-part-of-it /

: / www . techdirt articles/20130805/12472124074/administration-cant- let-go-wants-to-bring-back-felony-streaming-provis ions-sopa . shtml

: / www . youtube watch?v=1fTt4K4Cae4

We are not as powerless as we might think. We stopped SOPA before and we must do it again. Our stories, our ideas, our passion will be threaten. Everything from this to fan art to youtube is in danger of being gone forever.

I am asking you to spread the word and fight this assault on our freedoms. Because this isn't just going to affect Americans, it will affect everybody across the globe. Tell you friend, have they spread the word so we may stand up to fight this. It is our right as freedom of speech. We are not making money doing what we love, we do it because we enjoy it and want to spread our words, our ideas, our art to everyone who wishes to see it. but we can stop it but only if we stand together. Please my friends, my fellow reader and writers, don't let what we love be nothing but dust in the winds of time.

-Please spread the word and help us be free on the internet like she said we stopped it before lets do it again come darlings lets push SOPA back fight for our freedom!

Rewrite this and post on your story chapters for everyone else to see so we can stop SOPA!

SIGN THIS PETITION TO HELP STOP SOPA:

(Remove spaces)

petitions. whitehouse. gov/ petition/ stop-sopa-2013/ LMzMVrQF


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